Forever Is A Long Time
by ki-san
Summary: An accident robs Tohru of her parents, and a terrible twist of events lands her on a remote island with a family--by the name of 'Sohma'--who aren't what they seem...
1. Prologue

A/N: Here's the prologue of FIALT... I hope you guys enjoy it--any thoughts, comments, or suggestions are always welcome. However, please be polite--flames are only used to burn last years' schoolwork. Thanks a bunch!  
  
ki-san

* * *

**Prologue – Shisei (Life and Death)**  
  
Honda Tohru paced nervously in the living room of her mansion, the plush red carpeting muffling her footsteps. Checking the diamond-encrusted watch that was clasped around her wrist, she noted the time. _4:30... They're late._ She shivered as a cold breeze flew in through the open patio doors, swirled around the skirt of her knee-length, sky blue dress, and made her long brown hair dance. She stepped lightly out onto a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden. Leaning over the railing, she peered down with her matchless blue eyes at the flowerbeds.  
  
Spring was ending, and the scent of the coming summer hung upon the breeze. Tohru closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. A small smile played upon her lips as she raced back into the house and down a flight of stairs, flinging the front door open and racing to the garden she had been admiring only moments before. Joy from the promise of a beautiful summer to come partially covered the dull ache of a pain she lived with daily.  
  
Tohru sat upon a bench beside a clump of rosebushes and carefully broke a thorn off of a rose's stem. She held the thorn in the palm of her right hand, gazing at it thoughtfully.  
  
Her father, Honda Kazuya, was the president of a large company, though Tohru herself did not know for sure what his company did, for her father wasn't one to talk about business once he was home from a long day. And every day was a long day. In fact, once she thought about it, Tohru didn't know her father very well at all.  
  
She clenched her fist unconsciously around the thorn until it drew blood, and winced. Tohru opened her hand and glared at the pool of red on her pale skin. Drawing a handkerchief out of her pocket, she pressed it against her cut, and returned to her thoughts.  
  
Her mother, Honda Kyoko, was an esteemed fashion designer, whose clothes were worn by everyone who was anyone. If you didn't have the latest Honda Design in your closet, you weren't anyone at all. Tohru herself had her own original Honda Designs, but isn't that what you'd expect from the daughter of a designer? In fact, the dress she was wearing, and had picked out for that evening's festivities, was a Honda Design. Tohru personally hated it, but wore it to please her mother.  
  
It was Tohru's sixteenth birthday, and her parents had managed to clear their schedules in order to take her out for a fancy dinner, but they had yet to arrive home. Although it wasn't as if every dinner they had at home wasn't fancy. Tohru wasn't expecting much out of the ordinary, and that thought made her eyes fill with sadness.  
  
You would expect such a girl to be conceited about how rich and powerful her parents were—her father over who knows what, and her mother over the fashions of the world. And normally you'd be right. But Honda Tohru wasn't that type of girl, and only longed to have her parents come home for her birthday dinner. That was her only wish. Yet she knew in her heart that her wish would not come true. Pushing aside such thoughts, she grasped onto a ray of hope. Her parents would be home any moment...  
  
A maid came running out of the house towards where she was sitting. "Honda- san," she called, "your father's on the phone for you!"  
  
Tohru sighed softly. _Hah, so much for my ray of hope. He's probably still at the office..._ "I-I'll be there in a moment!" She glanced at her hand and saw that the bleeding had stopped. She tucked the bloodstained cloth back in her pocket, and stood.  
  
She followed the maid into the house and then into a small parlor on the first floor. She sat slowly on an antique futon and reached for the phone on the endtable beside it with a trembling hand. _Could it be that he's on the way home? Is he not coming home?_ She lifted the phone to her ear slowly. "M-moshi moshi Otou-san?" she said in a questioning tone of voice.  
  
"Ah! Tohru-kun, my sweet," her father's comforting voice drifted through the earpiece. "I'm so glad I caught you!"  
  
Tohru frowned, slightly confused. "But Otou-san," she began slowly, "where else would I be? I was waiting here for you and Okaa-san to come home and... and have dinner with me." She didn't want to seem as if she were reminding her parents that it was her birthday, so she didn't mention the planned celebration.  
  
Her father paused noticeably for a moment. Or two. Or three.  
  
---  
  
Clamping a hand over the mouthpiece of his cellphone, Kazuya glared at his wife from behind the desk in his office. "What do I tell her?" he hissed angrily. "I can't exactly tell her the truth – that we both have things to do and can't bother with this birthday nonsense."  
  
Kyoko sighed, looking down at the sketch of a long evening gown she was working on. She stood, walking to his desk, and taking the cell from his hand. "Tohru-kun, darling," she cooed into the phone, "we're trying so hard to make it home. You have no idea what the traffic's like." She held the phone out the window for a moment, so that Tohru could hear the honking of horns and yelling that was the city's usual bustle. "Can't you just hear it darling? Gomen nasai," she said, not really meaning it.  
  
"Ah! Iie. Don't be sorry, Okaa-san, I know you and Otou-san are trying to get home. I just, I wanted to have dinner with you both..." Tohru sounded slightly hurt, but her mother ignored it.  
  
"Hai, we are, Tohru-chan. Anyway, I'll see you when we get home. Maybe we'll get to have dinner with each other, maybe. Sayonara!" she said cheerfully, not waiting for her daughter's answering farewell, and pressed the "End" button.  
  
"There," she yawned, and tossed the phone at her husband.  
  
---  
  
Tohru placed the phone lightly on its cradle, and stood, her eyes filling with tears. They were in her father's office. No matter how her father had tried to keep her from hearing his words—_'I can't exactly tell her the truth—that we both have things to do and can't bother with this birthday nonsense.'_—she still overheard. He hadn't tried very hard to protect her feelings. Or worse, he didn't care.  
  
She fled the parlor, racing through the many hallways of her home and up a flight of stairs until she reached the cozy room she called her own. She flung herself on the bed and cried herself to sleep.  
  
---  
  
_Tohru's dream made her uneasy. It wasn't a typical dream, with vibrant images, just feelings and voices that she'd never heard in her life. She got the feeling that so many people were depending on her, and only her. Yet there was nothing she could do for them, they were wrong! And she told them so, but they wouldn't listen—they all believed in her, and she felt so useless...  
  
She didn't even know who they were. Just voices. Merely voices, not even words. Angry voices. Kind voices. Loving voices. Expectant voices. Frightening voices. But finally they all melded together into one scream...  
_  
---  
  
"HONDA-SAN!"  
  
---  
  
There was loud knocking at Tohru's bedroom door, and a loud, familiar voice was calling her name. "Honda-san?!"  
  
Tohru stood groggily, wiping sleep from her eyes and stretching. She straightened the designer dress she'd fallen asleep in, then opened the door.  
  
The maid of the Honda household, as well as a strange man, stood before her. The maid was short and plump, with dark hair pinned into a strict bun. Her eyes looked slightly red and puffy...  
  
The stranger was tall, broad-shouldered, and balding, with a dark mustache.  
  
They looked fairly uncomfortable standing in the hallway, so she invited them to a sitting area of her room, with several couches and chairs.  
  
All three sat, with the maid and the stranger trading glances. Tohru ran her hand along the soft embroidered fabric on the loveseat she occupied, and traced patterns with one finger. As she waited for someone to say something, she stared ruefully at a stain in the white carpet that refused to come out, no matter how hard she scrubbed. It has happened a few days ago, when she tripped—over nothing, to be honest—while carrying a cup of tea...  
  
Finally, Tohru could stand the silence no longer. "Anou... Rei-san? May I ask who this is?"  
  
"Ah, how rude of me," she said. "This is Detective Keiji-san."  
  
Tohru smiled slightly, still obviously confused. "P-pleased to meet you, K- keiji-san," she stuttered nervously. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself. "How can I help you, Keiji-san? Is there something you need to ask of me?"  
  
Keiji shook his head slowly, and stroked his mustache with a chubby finger. "Anou... I regret to have to tell you this, Tohru-san, but your parents are..."  
  
Tohru tilted her head to one side, completely oblivious. "Yes? What is it?"  
  
"Your parents... have passed away," he finished bluntly.  
  
Tohru blinked a few times, then let out a nervous laugh. "G-gomen ne, I must have misheard you. W-what did you say?"  
  
"It's true, Honda-san, gomen nasai," the maid said between sobs. "Your parents, they..."  
  
"N-nani?" Tohru whispered to herself. "Okaa-san... Otou-san... Iie..." She sat quietly and appeared to listen to their explanations, but she heard none of it.  
  
The other two occupants of the room tried to get her to speak to them, but her eyes were blank, and she wouldn't respond. "I'll go telephone your uncle," the maid said softly, then both her and the detective vacated the room, leaving Tohru alone in shock.

* * *

A/N2: I'm going to add a little glossary of all the Japanese words down here... For those who're kinda confused as to what they mean.   
  
_Prologue Glossary _****

Moshi moshi – this means "hello", when talking on the phone.  
**Otou-san **–this means father.  
**Okaa-san – **this means mother.  
**Gomen nasai – **basically: I'm very sorry.  
**Iie – **no.  
**Hai – **yes.  
**Sayonara – **goodbye.  
**Anou – **this is kinda like "um...", and then there's "eto" which is pretty much the same.  
**Gomen ne – **sorry.  
**Nani – **what?  
  
So there you go.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One – Doki (Anger)**  
  
A few days after her parents' death, Honda Tohru boarded a cruise ship. Tohru had protested to the best of her ability, being terrified of water. She hadn't even gotten into the bath without shivers down her spine since last year... But her uncle laughed off her fears, saying that the sooner she was out there on the ocean, she'd forget she was ever afraid. And she couldn't go against her uncle.  
  
Her aunt and uncle were her new guardians for two more years—until she turned eighteen—and they had decided, against her will, that the whole family ought to go on a relaxing cruise away from the reporters that were constantly harassing them.  
  
For it seemed that there was something suspicious surrounding their death, but Tohru was kept from watching news reports and reading newspapers to "protect" her, as her aunt put it.  
  
So Tohru, with a leaden heart, boarded the ship, and went straight to her cabin. She locked the door, and lay on her double bed, gazing at her luxurious room. Everything was white – carpets, bedding, the paint on the walls—with the only touches of colour in the large wooden furniture that was secured to the floor. Sure, the colours weren't to her taste... but Tohru knew she should be grateful that they were taking care of her. She stared at the ceiling until the rocking motion of the ship made her feel sick, then closed her eyes.  
  
Tohru heard loud knocking on her cabin door, and glanced at it in despair—and with a hint of annoyance. Deciding to ignore whomever it was, she rolled over onto her other side and closed her eyes again. Then came the jiggling of the doorknob—whomever it was had to be pretty desperate to talk to her, if they'd consider invading her privacy—which was harder to ignore. Finally, the grief-stricken young woman burst out, "Leave me alone!"  
  
A stern voice came from the other side of the door, ordering her, with plenty of vulgar language included, to open the door and let the speaker, her uncle, in. Tohru glared at the door, willing her uncle to leave. For a moment, it seemed like it had worked, as silence filled the air. Then the door shuddered under a barrage of pounding.  
  
Tohru sat up on her bed and hugged her knees to her chest. Tears formed in eyes that she thought had no tears left to cry, and spilled over onto her cheeks, running downwards in small rivers, dripping off her chin to land on knees that were tucked close underneath. "Just leave me alone," she whispered.  
  
More curses came from the other side of the door, from that hateful voice, then came the sounds of an angry and defeated guardian stomping away. Tohru breathed a sigh of relief, and buried her face in her knees, thinking that he'd given up. But oh, was she ever wrong.  
  
Only minutes later, he was back, and this time, jingling something that sounded suspiciously like keys outside the thin door. "Would you like to change your attitude about letting me in," he threatened, "or shall I just take action for myself?"  
  
Something inside the normally quiet and even-tempered girl snapped. She felt no more will to fight—she merely felt defeated. She gave respect and gratitude to her aunt and uncle for taking care of her, but a grieving sixteen-year-old is _not _someone to mess with. "Go right ahead," she sighed softly, her voice laced with both fear and resentment.  
  
There was silence on the other side of the door for a moment, then the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and a decided click rang out as he turned it. The doorknob twisted slowly as Tohru watched it, and she began to shake. Suddenly, the door opened with a crash as it hit the wall, and the looming shadow of Tohru's uncle fell over her.  
  
He strode into the cabin, and hauled Tohru up off the bed, and stood her on her feet. His face was cast over in darkness, but she could tell that an angry glare was pasted on his features. She stared fearfully into his eyes, then glanced at the hand that still grasped her upper arm rather tightly.  
  
He slowly loosened his grip, then brought his hand up, hovering in the air above her shoulder. Tohru never saw it coming as he slapped her across the face with the back of his hand.  
  
She fell to the ground in a stunned heap, her head spinning with the force of the blow. She touched her cheek gingerly, and felt the beginnings of a bruise as it throbbed with a dull ache. She let out a low sigh of pain, dreading what was to come.  
  
The same hand grasped her arm again, dragging her once again into a standing position. This time it was the other hand he raised, and bruised the other side of her face with it in the same manner as before.  
  
Tohru dangled limply in his grasp as he raised her up higher, until her feet no longer touched the floor. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling as she gasped for air.  
  
Her lip was throbbing painfully, and she could taste blood in her mouth. The arm her uncle held was beginning to become numb, and sharp pains ran through it. _That'll also be bruised tomorrow_, she thought wryly, wondering how she'd gotten herself into such a mess. She let out an unconscious whimper at the pain, and her guardian snorted.  
  
He lifted Tohru farther from the ground, and tossed her backwards, she landed surprisingly on her feet, but, being dizzy and disoriented, she stumbled backwards. She felt every moment of the fall as if it was an hour. Slowly, she crumpled to the floor, her head glancing painfully against the corner of a dresser.  
  
Her uncle took several deep breaths, staring at the unmoving form on the floor. She stirred slightly, and he scooped her up and placed her on her bed, being not entirely ungentle. His anger blinded him to the blood on the white carpet, and the look of pain on his niece's face. Turning abruptly on his heel, he stalked towards the door. On his way out, he paused, looked over his shoulder, and smirked.  
  
"If you won't open your door to me, then I won't open your door to you, either. I suppose you never noticed the deadbolts on the outside of the doors. My own personal touches to this little boat. Be more wise in your decisions next time, Tohru-chan." With those words that penetrated the darkness of Tohru's pain and made her feel ill, he was gone.  
  
Tohru moaned. _You've gotta be kidding me. This... this just isn't right. This is a terrible dream. It's all a dream. I'll wake up and okaa-san will be there, apologizing for being late again._ She struggled to sit up on the bed, and the sharp pains in her head told her otherwise. It's not a dream... She touched the back of her head lightly, then brought her fingers in front of her. Blood. Her ears rang with pain, but she thought she heard the ominous sliding of a bolt into place.  
  
She stood dizzily and stumbled over to the door. Grasping the knob, she took a deep breath, and... Jerking at the knob, she cried out softly. It wouldn't budge!  
  
Silently cursing herself for... Well, for doing _whatever _she had done to anger her ill-tempered uncle, she managed the few steps back to her bed, and collapsed onto it.  
  
- - -  
  
Tohru awoke the next morning to the sound opposite the one she'd heard last night. The deadbolt was sliding the other way, and the door creaked open, slowly. She forced her eyes open, and saw her uncle standing in the doorway with an expression of disappointment.  
  
"Why, Tohru-chan? Why did you have to do that?" he asked, as if it were her fault. The rest of his spiel she drowned out with her own thoughts, keeping her eyes focused on a spot above her uncle's head. _All I asked for... was to be left alone. Why is that wrong? Why... why... What did I do to deserve this unfairness?!_ Her eyes widened at that thought.  
  
That wasn't her... That wasn't the normal Honda Tohru. The normal Tohru was a cheerful girl, despite hardships. When her grandparents had died a few years before, she'd made a promise to herself never to sink into a well of self-pity and depression like she did then. She'd renewed that promise when her two best friends drowned the year before. The memory, along with the rocking of the ship, made Tohru feel sick again, and she struggled against the urge to throw up.  
  
She'd made that promise to herself, but for others. But there was no one now who needed her to be strong for them, so what was the point? She swallowed those thoughts and concentrated on the speck of good she found in her life. The fact that she, Honda Tohru, was alive. That was all that mattered. She would live for her grandparents... her friends... and her parents.  
  
Tohru wasn't even bothered anymore by the time her uncle shook his head at her and left the room, this time leaving the door wide open. She wasn't stupid enough to try and close it again, nor was she stupid enough to lock her bathroom door when she went for a shower.  
  
She cleaned her bloody hair and the back of her head, and tied a strip of a thin towel around her head to try and stop the bleeding. Peering at her face in a mirror, she lightly touched her puffy face, the winced.  
  
Tohru dried herself and dressed quickly, with clothes from in her dresser. Apparently her aunt had provided her with all of her wardrobe from her home—her old home.  
  
Then she lay on her bed, feeling slightly nauseous as the ship tipped back and forth with the waves. She stared at the ceiling once again, and began to hum, then sing, a song her mother had sung to her when she was little.  
  
Tatoeba kurushii kyou da to shite mo  
_For instance, even if today is painful_  
Kinou no kizu o nokoshite ite mo  
_And yesterday's wounds remain_  
Shinjitai kokoro hodo ite yukere to  
_I want to believe that I can free my heart and go on  
_  
Good memories of her parents flooded out the bad, and she began to miss them more than ever. They'd been a perfect family until just recently, and Tohru wasn't sure exactly what brought out a change in her parents... Perhaps it was the stress of work, as they rose up in the ranks of society.  
  
Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she drifted off to sleep, and dreamed of her mother's voice, singing a lullaby.  
  
- - -  
  
When Tohru awoke, it was dark, and a quick glance at a digital clock sitting atop her bedside table revealed that it was just after midnight. Her stomach complained loudly from hunger, but she ignored it. She knew she couldn't eat anything—she felt too sick. But, no longer feeling as woozy as before, she decided to take a walk out on the deck of the ship... but not too near the water.  
  
As Tohru left her cabin, she glanced up at the night sky. She could see dark clouds blotting out the stars on the horizon, and they were rolling closer and closer with each passing minute. She allowed a small smile, for the first time in days. Tohru had always loved rainstorms, and the pattering of rain pounding on the roof.  
  
And the rain would be a reflection of the emotion she refused to show. Right now, she could not weep. She had to be strong. If not for her friends, or her family... then for herself. For no matter how alone Tohru felt, she refused to let herself believe that she _was_ truly alone.  
  
Tohru walked to the railing that separated her from the choppy waves of the sea at night. Sprays of salt water sent droplets clinging to her skin, and she wiped her face dry with one hand. Her other hand gripped the metal bar of the railing tightly.  
  
She had no idea why, in a moment without her sanity, she'd decided to come so close to the dark waters. She stared down into the depths, and shuddered. Two faces seemed to smile at her from the rough waters, and she tore her eyes away.  
  
Out of nowhere, she heard footsteps behind her, and spun to face her uncle. However, there was something different about him...  
  
He walked right up in front of her and leaned forward until their noses almost touched. Tohru recoiled and stumbled backwards, against the rail, and she hung onto it tightly, with both hands. Her uncle, of course, stepped forward again, and squinted at her.  
  
Tohru could smell alcohol on his breath, and that frightened her. She had never dealt with a drunken man before...  
  
Her guardian smirked slightly. "You look so much like your Okaa-san, Tohru- chan. There's something about you both that just enchants a man. Your youthful beauty, perhaps..."  
  
Tohru's stomach dropped to her feet, and she squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.  
  
"I never loved your aunt, to be honest," he said, his words slurring together. "I always had my eye on your okaa-san. But then she married that damn Kazuya. I could never have her."  
  
Tohru loosened her grip on the railing, and tried to sidle away from him. But, even when drunk, his reflexes were quick, and he pulled her up against him.  
  
She closed her eyes, and, in a moment of fear, struck out at him with her open hand. Her palm connected with his cheek, and he glared at her.  
  
For a moment, all time froze. She could see his anger building in his eyes, and she was immediately disgusted with herself. She'd never hit a man before, or even thought of it. Her hand still stung from the impact, and she cradled it against her chest, as tears misted in her eyes.  
  
"Stupid bitch," he muttered. In a fit of anger, he grasped her arm and flung her upwards, tossing her over the railing as if she were a rag doll.  
  
Tohru hit the ocean just as the storm began to build overhead. The waves buffeted her as she struggled to keep afloat, and awake. The makeshift bandage slipped off of her head, and salt water brushed against the wound, making her cry out in pain. _What do I do now?_ she thought wildly, frightened by the lack of possibilities. _What can I do now? I suppose... I suppose I'll see you soon... Otou-san... Okaa-san...  
_  
For the first time in her life, Honda Tohru gave up, and let the storm render her unconscious.

* * *

A/N: Arigatou gozaimasu for reading And thankie muchly for the reviews, Jadefinn and saegie.  
  
I thought I might mention that I don't own anything... -- My disclaimer.  
  
Oh, and if I've gotten anything wrong and you notice it (using the wrong word for something.. anything like that) please tell me! I don't want to look like a complete baka =P  
  
_Chapter One Glossary_  
  
**Tatoeba kurushii...yukere to –** This is part of the opening song to the anime... I luff this song And the translation is under it, in italics. Yup. **  
Okaa-san –** mother, again.   
**Otou-san –** again, father.   
  
And that's about it! If I missed one, let me know in a review Heck, review even if I _didn't_ miss one! 


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two – Ame Agari (After the Rain)  
**  
_Tohru was having that kind of dream. The one where you know that you're dreaming, and it confused her. "I'm alive?" she whispered in her dream- voice. "How is that possible?"  
  
Those voices came to her again. Those ones she didn't recognize. The voices of the dream-people who depended on her for something. "What is it you want of me?" Tohru cried in her dream-voice. "I'm not who you think I am... I can't help you... I'm dying..."  
  
Her dream turned into nothingness. Then pain. Unbearable pain. More pain than she'd ever felt before. And though Tohru was not one to complain or let on that she was hurting, the pain was too much, and she screamed. But not in a dream-voice._  
  
---  
  
Sohma Yuki strolled slowly along the beach of the island that he and his family inhabited. He sighed and looked up at the sky, which had cleared after the rainstorm the night before.  
  
The Sohmas had lived on the island for several years, ever since a number of people had discovered their curse, and could not have their memories erased before they began spreading the news. The cursed members of the family had planned just to disappear, as if they hadn't existed at all, and it seemed to be working.  
  
The normal Sohmas were able to truthfully deny any knowledge of such members of their family, and managed to turn attention away from themselves. The family members who knew about the curse either decided to live on the island with the cursed Sohmas, or chose to have their memories erased. There were few exceptions—only those that had permission from the head of the family: Akito. People thought that the "eyewitnesses" were just attention-seekers, and forgot all about the Sohmas.  
  
Yuki wasn't really paying attention to the beach—it was merely a shortcut to get to his secret base, a garden that he tended as a hobby. His other hobby was beating his cousin Kyo—the 'baka neko'—into a bloody pulp.  
  
He was getting bored of his second hobby for the morning, and had decided he needed some time alone. Especially away from his brother. Yuki's eye twitched at the thought of the irritating snake. He had decided to 'visit' Yuki's older cousin, Shigure, at the house where he, Yuki, and Kyo all lived.  
  
Yuki couldn't say he was at all happy with the living arrangements, but in order to get away from Kyo, he'd have to move back into the main house... And the cat surely couldn't stay at the main house without being locked up. And as much as Yuki hated Kyo, there was a spark... a speck... a smidgen of compassion that he held for every living thing. Almost.  
  
Alone with his thoughts, Yuki didn't notice the body lying near the tideline of the beach until she screamed—an ear-splitting scream. He nearly jumped out of his skin, then walked cautiously over to where she lay.  
  
As he came up from behind her, he noticed a gash on the back of her head that was open and bleeding. Her brown hair lay in wet strands across her face, and her clothing was soaked.  
  
_Duh,_ he reprimanded himself. _She _just _came out of the ocean, no need to observe the fact that she's wet.  
_  
She made no motion, nor sound, after the scream, but one scream was enough. Shigure and Kyo came running down the beach towards him.  
  
"What the HELL did you do to her, kuso nezumi?!" was Kyo's obvious response to the situation.  
  
Yuki shot him an annoyed glare. "Nothing, baka neko." To Shigure, he added, "I found her like this when I walked past. She screamed, and I noticed her."  
  
"Ah, Yuki-kun, as observant as ever," Shigure teased softly.  
  
Yuki narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "This is no time for joking, Shigure."  
  
The dog, being serious for the first time in months, winced at the sight of her bloodied and limp form. "We'd better get her to Hatori."  
  
Both boys stared at him for a moment. "Ikan..?"  
  
---  
  
Tohru stirred slightly, then opened her eyes a slit. Bright light shot pain through her skull, and she sat upright, holding a hand over her face to block out the sun's rays. The quick movement made her dizzy, and the world appeared to spin around her for a moment. Her eyes slowly adjusted, and she glanced around.  
  
She was in a small room, lying on a plump mattress on the floor. She had on another girl's clothing, to her utter embarrassment, and a thin blanket lay on top of her.  
  
There were four other occupants of the room, and she looked at each questioningly and in turn.  
  
First was a lavender-haired young man with violet eyes, who looked about her age. He gave a small smile, and she looked at the ground in response, before raising her eyes to glance at the second person.  
  
Next was another young man with orange hair and angry red eyes, who refused to look at her.  
  
Then an older man with brown hair and a kindly smile. And finally, another older man with a sullen expression, and hair falling over a nearly useless eye.  
  
Tohru returned her gaze to her blanket, and fiddled with the edge. The silence was deafening, and rather uncomfortable, but she couldn't have spoken even if she wanted to. Her throat was raw, and it pained her to swallow, even to breathe.  
  
She had so many questions that were bursting to be let out, but the pain in her throat restrained her. _Who are you? Why am I here? How did you find me? Why am I alive? _She fingered her clothes lightly... _Whose are these?_ But surprisingly, she felt safe... Even in a house with four strangers.  
  
Someone cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and the seemingly kindly man began to speak. "Konnichiwa," he said cheerfully. "I'm Sohma Shigure." Gesturing towards the lavender-haired one, "This is my cousin, Sohma Yuki..." and towards the orange-haired one, "...and this is my other cousin, Sohma Kyo."  
  
Glancing around the room, Shigure seemed to remember the other man. "Oh, and that scary-looking one is Sohma Hatori. Now, who might you be, miss?"  
  
Tohru tried to speak, but it only came out as a hoarse croak. She blushed and hugged her knees to her chest.  
  
The lavender-haired one – what was his name again... Yuki? Yes, Yuki – smiled again. "It's okay, miss." He gestured towards a glass of water sitting beside her mattress. "Take a drink, then try again."  
  
She reached clumsily for the glass, but managed to raise it to her lips, and take a few sips. The water was fresh and clean, and tasted wonderful. Yet when she opened her mouth again, no sound came out – but it wasn't because of her throat. Tohru wasn't entirely sure she wanted to speak—she didn't know what to say.  
  
Yuki thought for a moment, then disappeared through a doorway, and returned momentarily with a piece of paper, a pot of ink, and a brush. "Could you write it down for us?" he asked kindly. "Gomen nasai," he added, "that's all I could find in the way of writing utensils at such short notice."  
  
Tohru shook her head and gave what looked as if it might be a smile... by some standards. She took the brush hesitantly, then, with a shaking hand, wrote, 'Honda Tohru'.  
  
Yuki came up beside her and read it. "Honda Tohru, hm? Then hajimemashite, Honda-san."  
  
Hatori frowned slightly and nodded to the brush and paper. "Now that we know you can write, suppose you tell us how you got that injury on the back of your head. And those bruises."  
  
Tohru paused, and looked at him for a long second, something unreadable in her eyes. Then, she again fumbled with the brush and ink, trying to write as neatly as possible. She pulled the page to her lips and blew on it, drying it, then handed it to Hatori, giving an apologetic smile and shrug.  
  
He turned it right side up, and read it out loud. "Wakara nai." He glanced at Tohru, but her face turned away from all of them. However, he could tell by her quivering frame that she was holding back tears, and he looked away, deciding it was better not to attempt to question the girl any further.  
  
He stood, motioned for his cousins to follow him, and left the room. As the other three trailed behind, Hatori sighed, and closed the door behind them, staring at it. "We need to decide what to do about that girl. That Honda Tohru."  
  
Kyo growled disgustedly. "If this is going to involve Akito, count me out."  
  
"Then go, baka neko," Yuki said haughtily. "Of course it involves _him_."  
  
Kyo glared at his cousin, looking as if he wanted to punch his face in—which probably wouldn't have worked anyway—but at a warning glance from Hatori, he cursed under his breath and stalked away. "Kuso nezumi..."  
  
The others entered a room off to the left that Shigure called his study... though what he studied in there was a debatable subject.  
  
Yuki was the last to enter, and he watched his orange-haired and hotheaded cousin tramp back into the girl's room. He narrowed his eyes. What is he doing? Yuki thought to himself.  
  
"Ne, Yuki-kun!" came Shigure's annoying carping from inside his 'study'. "What's keeping you? You aren't going to stalk off like Kyo-kun, are you?"  
  
Yuki rolled his eyes, and wandered slowly inside, with one last glance at the now-open door of the room down the hall. Sure, _someone _ought to keep an eye on the girl, though for some reason, he wished it wasn't the baka neko... He was bound to mess things up, somehow.  
  
They each knelt upon a large cushion on the hard wooden floor, but no one spoke. None of them wanted to address the subject at hand, and they each had their own reasons.  
  
The lavender-haired boy, the former 'Prince' of his high school, felt pity for the girl. He had no idea what had happened to her, that Honda Tohru. Her wounds were one thing—what terrible accident had she suffered? It must have been bad, as she seemed to be hiding the truth about what had happened. There was also the fact that she was on a remote island with complete strangers, and her fate was in the hands of Akito. No one could tell what he might decide...  
  
The inu, the novelist, and the seemingly kindly man had his own motive. Can Shigure's thoughts truly be accurately described? But they were, most likely—need I say it?—purely hentai. No elaboration necessary.  
  
And the doctor, the tatsu, the man with sight in only one eye, was simply thinking of a girl that their 'guest' reminded him of. A girl light brown hair, a soft smile, and a question that changed his way of looking at the world... _What does snow become when it melts?_ A girl from his past, from a long time ago...  
  
But he was the first to break the silence. "Once I think about it, all we can do is talk to Akito. Or rather, I shall talk to him. He's not in the best of health right now—I was _extremely_ reluctant to leave him—" here he glared at Shigure, "and I should not discuss such a matter with him while he is ill. I will return and tell you his decision in a week's time." With that, Hatori stood, and strode evenly to the door. "I'll be leaving now. Yuki, don't let Shigure do anything... questionable... to the girl." With those words, he was out in the hall, his footsteps echoing behind him.  
  
"Hey! Ha-san," the inu called after him in a whine, "what's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
- - -  
  
Tohru was left alone to calm herself, and bring back her cheery smile. Glancing around the room, she decided to take a look outside, and get her bearings. She had no idea where she was... Nearby her home, perhaps? Then she could take her leave of the Sohmas, though they did seem like nice people...  
  
She felt a little weak, still, but she wasn't one to give up... again. She crawled over to a wall, and used it to support herself. She walked in baby steps across the room, and over to a sliding door covered in rice paper.  
  
Tohru pulled it slowly open, inch by inch, and winced as the bright sunlight hit her eyes. Once they had adjusted, she gazed out at the most beautiful tropical setting she had ever laid eyes on. Palm trees and trees bearing colourful fruit, vines with flowers of vibrant shades, and multi- coloured birds flitting across the sky.  
  
Tohru stepped outside into the warm sand, sliding the door shut after her. She filtered the white grained between her toes, and walked over to one of the fruit-bearing trees.  
  
Meanwhile, inside, Kyo was re-entering the guest room just in time to see Tohru slip outside. He followed her silently, opening and shutting the door behind him as he leapt onto the sand. He then watched as she steadied herself against the trunk of an orange tree with one hand, and plucked one of the fruits with the other.  
  
Tohru lifted it to her nose and inhaled. It smelled delicious—then again, anything would smell delicious to a stomach that hadn't eaten in a couple days. She was about to take a tentative bite, when a voice stopped her.  
  
Kyo walked up beside her, and her blue eyes met his red. "Oi!" he called in an annoyed tone, "what're you doing, baka?" His voice came out a little rougher and more annoyed than he really felt... He reached out, and plucked the fruit from her hands.  
  
Tohru looked at the ground, and he noted her sad expression. Her stomach grumbled with hunger, and Kyo winced inwardly. _Now who's the baka? Ahou, of course she's hungry..._ Tohru flushed, and looked back up at him.  
  
Kyo cleared his throat gruffly, and waved the fruit around in front of her face. "This's an orange. If you bit into it, it'd taste nasty, baka. Haven't you ever seen one before?"  
  
To Kyo's surprise, Tohru shook her head slightly, her eyes filling with tears. Her shoulders slumped, as she thought, _Aah! Watashi wa baka-desu!  
_  
The neko sighed. "You have to peel the skin off first." He dug his nail into the fruit, and peeled a piece of the orange coating off. He then turned the orange around so a fresh part of it faced her. "Now you can do it yourself."  
  
Tohru nodded and took the fruit, squinting at it, and mimicking his actions. As Kyo expected, she brought the orange too close to her face and got the juice from its peel squirted in her eye. She winced, and Kyo grabbed the fruit back.  
  
"Baka! Can't even do this one thing right..." He tore off the rest of the skin, and was about to toss it to her, when a thought occurred to him. She'd never even seen an orange before, so, being the fool that she was, she would probably just try to eat it, and wouldn't realize how it split off into sections. _Pfft,_ he told himself silently as he pulled out a piece and munched on it, _I'm only doing this because I'm hungry. _Not_ for her.  
_  
He threw the orange back at Tohru, and she caught it. She looked up to thank him in her wordless way, but he was already stalking away, muttering loud enough for her to hear about stupid girls who couldn't do anything right. After all, he didn't want her to think he was _nice _or anything.

* * *

A/N: Not much chance of that anyways, Kyo-kun =P  
  
Hee, thankies for reading, people. Here's the glossary of Japanese words for this chapter. Arigatou gozaimasu!  
  
_Chapter Two Glossary_  
  
**Baka neko** – this is the cute little nickname Yuki has for Kyo.. It means "stupid cat".  
**Kuso nezumi** – the nickname Kyo has for Yuki in return. 'Means, literally, shit rat. or shit_ty_ rat, I suppose. o.O strange, ne?  
**Ikan** – means, "how?"  
**Konnichiwa** – hello, or good morning.  
**Gomen nasai** – "very sorry".  
**Hajimemashite** – pleased to meet you.  
**Inu** – means dog   
**Hentai** – umm.. perverted.   
**Tatsu** – the dragon from the zodiac  
**Wakara nai** – I don't know, or I don't remember... type of thing.   
**Baka** – 'means idiot, fool, or stupid.. they can all apply, you choose =P  
**Watashi wa baka desu** – I'm such an idiot..  
**Ahou** – also means idiot. 


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three – Dantei (Decision)**

Tohru watched the orange-haired young man traipse off into the distance, then hobbled into the house through the doors she had used before.

She sat carefully upon the mattress, and peeled out a section of the orange. She popped it in her mouth as Kyo had done, and chewed slowly. The corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile, and she whispered her first word of the day. "Oishii!"

"Ah, so you _can_ speak, Honda-san."

Tohru looked up in surprise, to see Yuki leaning against the doorway that led into the rest of his abode. She blushed and nodded, too tired to think up a response. Even walking outside had been a chore, and her strength was drained.

However, fingering the clothes that she wore, that didn't belong to her, she felt the need to ask a question. "Whose clothes are these?" she inquired in a raspy voice.

That question provoked a blush from the lavender-haired man, and he looked away from her. "They're my cousin's. She dressed you too, if you were wondering," he added after a pause.

She nodded slowly, filled with an odd sense of trust in these people, whose names she had just barely learned. "I didn't mean to be rude, Sohma-kun," she stammered, suddenly wondering if he thought her rude. Or maybe she had made him think that she didn't appreciate their hospitality. Or--

"Iie, I wasn't offended," Yuki replied, interrupting her thoughts, and smiled as she yawned. "You should get some sleep, Honda-san."

Tohru nodded and lay her head on the pillow, hearing Yuki leave and close the door behind him before she drifted off into a comforting sleep.

- - -

Hatori knelt reluctantly in front of a black-haired and gray-eyed man, lying on a futon before him. "You wanted to see me, Akito?"

"Yes," came a quiet voice from the figure in front of him. "There is something you want to tell me."

It wasn't a question, but a command. Hatori did not yet think that he was well enough to be bothered with the trivial news of a female visitor, but he knew better than to try and hide something from the family head. He related the tale slowly, and was shocked at Akito's response.

"I knew it. She is the one," a cold voice muttered. "She is the one from the prophecy. She is the one who will break the curse we have suffered under for so long. Do not let her leave the island. You know what to do."

Hatori stared at the family head with a shocked look, but he knew better than to question the man, no matter how sick he appeared to be. "Yes, Akito-san."

He stood slowly, and exited the room, heading for the house that lay far in the distance, on the other side of the island.

- - -

Shigure surveyed the damage done to his house. It wasn't damage, to be truthful, but it was bad enough. Television, telephones, and computer were all gone, with trinkets to cover the places where they had been. Said appliances sat in a locked cupboard in the corner of his study.

It was unlikely that the girl would ever go in that room (thanks to Yuki and Kyo, the inu jokingly grumbled), so it was the safest hiding place there was. All this 'destruction' to his beloved home was thanks to a scatter-brained idea from Akito that the young woman was the one who would save them from their curse.

Shigure snorted. The family head had said the same thing about a woman so long ago, but there was nothing he could do. If Akito wanted to think that this young girl was the one who could help them, the inu could to nothing to stop him.

- - -

Yuki stared in disbelief at his older cousin Shigure. "So what you're saying," he clarified, "is that we must lie to our new 'guest', prevent her from getting into contact with her family, and somehow give her knowledge of our secret, all because _he _says she's the 'one who will lift the curse'."

Shigure nodded with a weak smile. "Pretty much." He shifted in his seat to meet Yuki's glare.

The two were relaxing, if you could call the atmosphere in the room relaxed, in Shigure's study, sitting across beside each other on cushions on the floor. Yuki wrinkled his nose in disgust, then leafed through the book he held.

Kyo cursed and paced angrily around the room. "What the hell right do we have to keep her here? Just get rid of her, I say. She's a bother and a pest, and she needs to go back to her family."

The other two men in the room shook their heads, one disagreeing and aloof, and the other with a look that meant that nothing was quite that simple. "We have to do what he tells us," the inu said softly.

The room fell silent.

- - -

Tohru woke to the delicious aromas of breakfast, coming from a tray lying beside her pillow. She sat up slowly and pulled the tray onto her lap, munching happily.

Her thoughts turned for the first time to this island, and the people living on it.

_What should I be doing?_ she thought anxiously._ I can't stay here, even though I have no wish to go home. I suppose I'll tell them that once I'm feeling all right I'll call my family. Oh! But I don't want to impose upon their kindness! I'm fine really, just a bit tired, and I can recuperate as easily at home as I can here. I'll tell that to one of the Sohmas, the next time they come in._

By some odd twist of fate, at that moment, Yuki walked through the door. He presented her with a smile, though it seemed much less warm and kind than it had before...

"Anou," she began slowly, "what... Eto... What time is it?" She mentally kicked herself for being unable to ask so simple a question as hers was. She was getting herself out of their hair, anyhow.

"You slept since yesterday afternoon until now, and I'd say it's about ten." Yuki seemed to be looking anywhere in the room, except at her.

Tohru attempted a small smile. "Oh. I _was_ rather tired. Anou," she tried again, hesitant.

"Honda-san?" Yuki urged her on.

"I don't want to be a bother to you and your family," she said while blushing heavily. "If you could just direct me to a phone, then I could call my par—" She stopped, a frown creasing her features.

She noticed that the lavender-haired young man had his attention on her, and wore a concerned look, so she continued quickly. "Then I could call my uncle," she concluded softly, her eyes overbright.

Tohru kept her eyes on the floor in front of him, hoping he couldn't see the tears she was holding back. It had been a while since... since they passed away, but the pain was still fresh, at times. And no matter how much she disliked being a bother to them, she almost hoped that she wouldn't have to return... to her uncle.

"Sumimasen," Yuki announced after a long, silent moment, his voice filled with an emotion that she couldn't guess. "We don't have a phone." She could feel his gaze hang over her for a moment, before he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Tohru winced, then let the tears spill out. _What now? I have no way to contact anyone, and it seems like the Sohmas wish that I could! They don't want an intruder on their island__..._

- - -

Yuki couldn't bear to be around Tohru any longer. It hurt him to see her eyes fill with tears at the thought of her family. _She must miss them quite a bit,_ he thought sadly. And it hurt to lie to her. She seemed like such a simple, sweet, innocent girl... What would she say if she found out?

However, Akito was taking great pains to see to it that she did not. Phone jacks were covered, as were all the outlets, except in the kitchen. But that was only because no one really wanted to go _in_ the kitchen to cover the outlets.

He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, wrinkling his nose at the foul odors that seemed to drift out of the room. Yet he didn't move away, but drifted into thought, not noticing Tohru standing beside him until she tapped his shoulder.

He jumped back from her touch, being too close to her for comfort. As he struggled with words, he began to sweat slightly.

"Anou," she began quietly, "I want to help the Sohmas. You're kind to have given me a room to sleep in for a few days, and good food to eat. But I cannot ask you for that forever, Sohma-san."

Yuki looked at her blankly, then offered a weak smile. "We're more than happy to give you a room, Honda-san. And you're in no condition to offer us anything but gratitude, which we do accept. You need rest."

Tohru ignored his suggestion, and stepped into the small kitchen. "Hmm... It would take a lot of work, but I could clean this up! It's one of the things I do best." She flashed him a smile, then tilted her head to one side. "Anou, where do you keep your cleaning supplies?"

Yuki began to answer, then paused in thought looking confused. "Uh..."

Shigure appeared beside him in the doorway, laughing and smiling impishly. "He's the wrong person to ask, Tohru-kun. He's never cleaned a day in his life!"

Once Tohru was outfitted with a mop, a bucket of water, and several garbage bags, the two men left her to do what she did best, and she surveyed the mess before her. _I can do this,_ she thought, and dove right in. Not literally, of course.

After a long hour, Yuki returned and gazed at the sight that awaited him. There were several bags piled beside the door, and he could see nearly all of the floor, and parts of the counter, too! They even had a _sink_ in there.

Tohru was resting when he walked in, but she quickly jumped up and shooed him away. Once he was out the door and around the corner, she tackled a pile of dishes that had been sitting on the counter for who _knows_ how long. She even cleaned the dishes in the cupboards, seeing how much dust they had on them.

She mopped the rest of the floor, and bagged more garbage. She wiped down the counters, and cleaned out the sink. She plugged the stove and refrigerator back in, while clearing moldy foods from both appliances. She uncovered a rice cooker and a toaster as well, and placed then on the counter.

Tohru was unsure of where to put all the bags, so she carried them through a back door of the kitchen, and piled them outside. Decidedly tired from the kitchen ordeal, she knelt in the shade of an orange tree, and watched the ocean in the distance as the waves crashed onto a sandy beach.

After Tohru had been sitting there for a time, a shadow fell over her, and she looked up. Yuki looked down at her with a smile of awe. "The kitchen hasn't looked that clean in _years_," he said softly.

She stood quickly, prepared to bow repeatedly and play down her cleaning abilities. However, still being tired and admittedly weak from her ordeal, her knees seemed to buckle, and she fell towards Yuki.

- - -

Yuki saw her begin to fall, and several thoughts raced through his mind.

First was the fact that if he caught her, he'd be doing exactly what Akito wanted him to. He hated the thought that his actions could play into the family head's sick little plot, and he rebelled.

Then he thought of what would happen after. She was bound to know that he could've caught her—he was quick as a mouse, pardoning the pun. And how was he supposed to explain that away?

But before his mind had a chance to decide, his reflexes took over, and managed to catch both her shoulders and cushion her against his side, before lowering her back to the ground. Thankfully, years of being in a co-ed school with a flock of girls trying to get a hug out of the 'Prince' had paid off—he hadn't gotten anywhere near to hugging her.

Once she was sitting on the ground again, apologizing profusely, he let out a sigh of relief. She paused and gave him a curious glance. "Anou... Sohma-kun? Daijoubu?"

Regaining his wits, Yuki nodded and offered a small smile. "Hai, daijoubu."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait in uploading... I want peoples' opinions.. what member of the zodiac should Tohru meet next? Tell me what you want! Whatever person you people tell me won't show up in the next chapter.. but maybe the one after that.

_Glossary for Chapter Three_

**Oishii** – delicious!  
**Iie** – no.  
**Inu** – dog, meaning Shigure.  
**Anou/Eto** – humming and hawing... o.O um, er, uh.. that kind of thing.  
**Sumimasen** – excuse me, in a sorry kind of way.. lets just say it means sorry.  
**Daijoubu** – are you okay?  
**Hai** – yes.


End file.
